The blast threw Senior Detective Ed Weber against the passenger seat, slamming his arm into the computer mounted in the center of the Syracuse University patrol car.

Weber, 62, couldn't see his partner, Officer Stan Prue, who had left the car moments before on Skytop Road, the highest point on campus.

"I really thought we got shot, it was like a shotgun blast," Weber said during an interview this afternoon.

The senior detective tearfully recounted the near-death lightning strike late Sunday that left Prue at Upstate University Hospital's Intensive Care burn unit. Weber suffered soreness and bruises, but returned to work today.

"It's a miracle they were both able to survive this," SU Chief Tony Callisto said. He credited Weber's level-headed response after being struck himself. "That level of competency is what saved Stan's life," the chief said.

Senior Detective Ed Weber expresses gratitude for the public support he received after being struck by lightning.Michelle Gabel | mgabel@syracuse.com

Weber, a 40-year veteran of law enforcement, broke into tears while thanking the fellow officers, firefighters and emergency responders who came to their aid at the scene and in the days since then.

"I want to thank men and women of departments who helped us," Weber said. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be around today."

He provided the following account of the freak incident:

The two officers were assigned to a special crime detail Sunday on Marshall Street. They weren't supposed to be on duty, but signed up for overtime to help city police patrol the neighborhood.

When rain hit, pedestrians ran for cover and the officers did, too. They knew it wasn't raining on South Campus, so they headed that way.

There, they pulled into a parking lot across from 612 Skytop Road. They chatted about the Labor Day storm in 1998.

Prue said he needed to stretch. As he left the vehicle, the lightning struck. "Stan Prue, he got the brunt, the direct hit of the lightning," Weber said.

The blast bounced off Prue and into the vehicle, striking Weber. The longtime police veteran has been shot at and stabbed in the back during his career, so he immediately prepared for someone shooting at them.

Weber got out of the patrol car and rushed over to his partner. Prue lay on the ground, unconscious, barely breathing with his eyes rolled back into his head. Weber pounded on his partner's chest. "Talk to me! Talk to me!"

As he pulled off Prue's vest, Weber realized it wasn't a gunshot, but lightning. Still dazed, Weber had the presence of mind to call for help.

As a nearby officer and others arrived, Weber continued to calmly update responders of Prue's condition.

"He's breathing slow and he appears to be struck by lightning," Weber said, according to a recording of his call for help. He even remembered to have the dispatchers notify the chief about the incident.

"He took control, he was in command," Callisto said, who rushed to the scene after being called. "It was an amazing feat in light of what he had experienced moments earlier."

Weber, who retired as a fatal crash investigator from the Onondaga County sheriff's office and has since worked for Solvay Police and SU, said nothing else has come close to seeing his partner go down in front of his eyes.

"We're prepared for everything," he said. "But nothing like this."

Weber said since he's OK, the focus should turn to making sure Prue has a good recovery. That could take awhile. Prue is still in a lot of pain, Callisto said. The two men visited Prue this morning and they chatted.

Weber also thanked the outpouring from the public. "They understand what we go through out there," he said. "You don't realize that until something like this happens."